He Said, She Said
by Emmithar
Summary: Not only had the woman of his dreams moved nearly three thousand miles away, but he had been the one to convince her.
1. Chapter 1

**He Said, She Said**

**By: **Emmithar

**Rating: **K+

**Summary: **Not only had the woman of his dreams move nearly three thousand miles away, but he had been the one to convince her.

**Disclaimer: **We all know that I don't own CSI, so I won't bother explaining in long detail :D

**A/N**

Okay, so this was a one-shot, or it was supposed to be. How many times have I said that. I'm hoping to finish it in one more chapter. But just a little something that I worked on. Some fluff, a bit of angst.

* * *

**He Said, She Said**

There were times he wished he could take it all back; hit the rewind button, start over again. Unfortunately life didn't work in that manner; there were no do-overs, no restarts, and there certainly was no 'play till you win'.

Those took place in a fantasy world, in which kids lived by. They built games around these rules in order to remain fair. They didn't exist in this world, in this life; life was never fair, although it did have its bouts of ups and downs.

Now, right now, it would be a down. Not only had the woman of his dreams move nearly three thousand miles away, but he had been the one to convince her. He had been the only one to stand up and support her, while the others had scorned her, telling her straight-out how ridiculous she was being.

He supposed that part of him had been right in doing so, maybe all of it had been right. Then why did he feel so horrible? Flipping open his cell, he stared at the numbers that were on the screen, hesitating only moments before pressing a button, bringing the phone up to his ear.

Of course, no one else supported this belief. He had purposely stayed home tonight, calling in several hours ago. It wasn't because of how much sleep he had gotten, or the lack of it. Nor was it from his missed meals, or plain apprehension of facing the others. They didn't blame him as much, or at least they didn't scorn him face to face anymore.

They saw it all differently, she had left because of him. If he hadn't interfered when Grissom was setting her straight she would still be around. Everyone missed her, the lab really wasn't the same, not to mention the awkwardness of working with her replacement.

But none of these were reasons to why he had stayed home tonight. He hadn't moved from this very spot since calling in. Lost in his thoughts, and prayers, if you would call them that. He missed her too much, he wanted to bring her back home.

It was silly, he knew that she wasn't just going to come running back. She had everything there she could possibly want. Better hours, better pay, doing what she loved, without the stress of everything. She was starting over again, turning over a new leaf. But there was always hope, right? After all, she had come to Vegas because of Grissom, who's to say she wouldn't come back for him.

Although he had no proof that she cared for him in the same manner that he cared for her. And care for her he did, so much that he had backed her up in her decision to leave. She had been so disheartened at everyone's reactions. Saying goodbye was always hard, but it was even worse when someone dashed those hopes and dreams.

In his prospective, she had been running for such a long time, he wished there was some way to help. How far would she go before he was no longer able to reach her? Maybe everything was his fault, maybe instead of convincing her to follow through on her decision, he should have dissuaded her, as all the others did. His grip tightened on the phone as he heard her pick up on the other side, her voice groggy.

"Hello?"

"Hey Sara," he whispered softly, keeping his voice low in fear of waking anyone, though he was the only one in the room. "It's me."

"Greg?" she still sounded confused, her speech slow, slurred slightly. "Greg, it's three in the morning, I have to be up in a few hours."

Greg bit his lip, cursing himself silently. He had forgotten about the time difference, forgotten that she now worked days. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay," she replied, she sounded a little more awake now, a little less irritated. "I wasn't really sleeping anyways."

"Liar," he replied, testing her. Sure enough a soft laugh came through the line, unsupported by an answer. "I'll let you get back to sleep now," he explained, "I just wanted to hear your voice that's all."

"Oh sure," she replied sarcastically, but with a hint of mirth, "you wake me up in the middle of the night, and then just leave. Typical male."

Greg laughed softly, leaning further against the cushioning of the couch, one arm wrapped around a pillow. "If you're going to be like that. How are you?"

She laughed, more of a giggle, and for a moment it felt as though it were back to old times, the pair just talking, hanging out, being friends. "Not too much different from last night. You shouldn't be calling me like this, especially with work's phone. They don't pay long distance."

"I'm not using work's phone," Greg defended himself.

She agreed with him lightly, her voice still light, musical even. There was a pause, but only for a beat. "Liar."

"Okay, so it's not like I'm on for very long."

"Greg," she said softly, "I told I'd call you every night, when my plan goes through I'll have long distance and everything."

"I don't want to wait that long," he replied.

Silence filled the line, and for a moment Greg thought that he had lost her, but then her voice came through, quiet, but with meaning. "I miss you too."

"When are you coming back for a visit?" he prompted, one finger lightly tracing the patterns on the pillow he had resting on his chest.

"Not until I get some vacation time," she admitted. "At least a year."

"Sara," he started again, surprised as she cut him off.

"No Greg, I'm not coming back."

"How do you know I was going to ask that?" he wondered, letting out a breath of air.

He could almost see her smiling as she answered. Almost. "Because you've asked me every night since I left."

"So obviously I'm not being annoying enough?"

She laughed this time, fighting off a yawn. "I already have enough annoyances in my life, don't add onto it."

"That guy still bothering you?" Greg asked, trying to recall his name. "Max, right?"

"Max, my partner," Sara stated, her tone changing as she said his name. "I swear the Everlasting Energizer Bunny is his brother. He never stops talking, or moving for that matter. It felt like he was running circles around me, I wanted to hit him."

Greg laughed, quietly however as to not wanting to upset her, but she heard him anyways, joining in his chuckle.

"How about you? How's work going? Everyone still mad?"

"Pretty sore still…Catherine won't talk to me, I'm non-existent to Grissom. Nick and Warrick aren't to bad…"

"But they still blame you," Sara finished for him.

Greg let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah."

"And you still blame yourself."

"Yeah…wait, no," he corrected himself quickly, but it was already too late. He heard her laugh again, and felt his cheeks burning with embarrassment. This topic hadn't come up yet.

"Greg, I left because I wanted to. No one made that decision but me. It means a lot to me that you stood up for me even when you disagreed. You know that, don't you?"

"I just wish I didn't feel so bad," he admitted quietly. He wasn't fond of the turn the conversation had taken. "I really miss you Sara."

"I know, but I just can't come back. I really want this."

"Do you?" he questioned, "Or are you just trying to get away?"

She was silent again, but only for a moment. "I want this," she replied, but the full confidence was no longer there.

"I don't want to wait a year to see you again," he continued.

"Greg, we talk every night. It's not like we're out of touch."

"It's not the same," he pouted lightly. He heard her sigh.

"Greg," she took a breath, "I'll call you in the morning, while on break, I promise. I really need some sleep now."

"Okay," he replied softly, somewhat hurt, but with the knowledge that he would get over it as well. "You promise?"

"First break I get. I don't care what time it is for you, but you had better answer. If I can't sleep than neither can you."

"Deal," he agreed, smiling again.

They said their goodbyes, and Greg hung up silently. The call hadn't lasted very long, but it had made him feel better, if only by a little. He ran his fingers along the edge of the phone, checking the time. It was almost twelve-thirty now; there was no real way of telling when she would get her first break, but he would be waiting. He would wait for all the time in the world if it meant only five minutes with her. Yes, he would be waiting.

**TBC**


	2. Infractions

**Chapter Two: Infractions**

_"I know, I know…you don't have to say a word. I know exactly what you're thinking. I'm being crazy and ridiculous; I've heard it enough times today."_

_"That's not what I'm thinking," he said easily, sliding further in to the room. Of course, he was thinking along the same lines, but he wouldn't tell her that. He didn't want to see her go, but he wouldn't force her to say either._

_Sara gave him half a smile, shaking her head. "It's okay Greg, I don't blame you."_

_"Really…if you want to go, you should. I'm happy for you."_

_It was hard to say, but she needed to hear it. He had heard wind of Sara's decision just the other night, through talk from the lab. Some of the comments the others had made had been harsh, crude even. If they affected him that much, he could only wonder how they had affected Sara._

_"I got these for you…" he handed her the small package he had brought in with him, meeting her look of confusion with a smile. "It gets cold over there during the winters…I would know…"_

_She smiled as she unwrapped the gloves and hat, putting them down as she gave him a hug. "Thank you Greg…"_

He blinked, opening his eyes as the phone rang again. His phone…he answered it with a yawn, smiling as he heard her voice.

"Morning sleepyhead," she teased, her voice soft, full of mirth. "Or should I say afternoon?"

"It's four, Sara" he reminded her, his eyes still closed as he let out a sigh.

"Come on tough guy, suck it up. You have to be at work in three hours anyways."

Greg nodded, yawning another time. "Yes, but I'd love to sleep for those last three hours."

"Payback's a bitch, isn't it?" she laughed.

"Depends on who's doing the paying," he pointed out, easing himself up into a sitting position. He frowned, hearing all the noise in the background. "Sara, what are you doing?"

"Cooking," she replied quickly, keeping her answer short.

"Sara…you don't know how to cook," Greg reminded her, wrapping his one free hand around his knees, the covers pulled up around him.

"I thought I'd give it a try. I mean, now that I only work eight hours a day, and have my weekends off, I have to find something to do in my free time."

"Okay…" Greg agreed quietly, clearing his throat. "Should you…ah, should you really be talking to me at the same time? What if you need to call the fire department or something?"

"Greg," she chided, her voice hiding the amazement that was certainly playing on her face, "have some faith in me, will you?"

He smiled, doing his best not laugh. "Okay, okay…so, why cooking?"

"I don't know," she admitted, the tone of her voice already changing, "It's cheaper than takeout, healthier that's for sure. More work, but then again, I have more time. May as well try new experiences, huh?"

"Fine, but the next time you decide to do something suicidal, like skydiving, call me first, okay?"

"Greg," she huffed, unable to keep from laughing as she heard him chuckle. "Don't worry, besides, it costs a fortune to go skydiving around here."

"You can't be serious," he exclaimed, more alert now. He calmed down when she laughed.

"You know me better than that, but it is fun to get your blood pumping."

"We talked about this already, giving me heart attacks is not a sport."

"Depends on who's playing," she shot back at him, repeating his earlier phrase.

"Looks who giddy today," Greg smirked, leaning back against his pillow.

"Well, I should be, considering I got a promotion today."

"A promotion? Already, I mean, you've only been there for about three weeks…"

"Eighteen days, but who's counting?" Sara laughed, becoming quiet once again.

"A CSI level two already? That's really great."

"They want me up to level three by next month, they're really confident in my abilities. It might be too soon though; they had to pull a few strings to get me promoted already."

"Do you get to work solo's yet?"

"Nah, Max is still my partner. Jerry promises me that I can pick my own partner when I reach level three though. I'm looking forward to it."

"Honestly Sara, he can't be that annoying…"

"I thought you were annoying Greg," she cut him off, "but he really pulls it off."

"You think I'm annoying?" he questioned, somewhat hurt.

"In a good way," she reassured him, "the kind I look forward to."

"That's good," Greg smiled, "I'm happy for you Sara, I really am…but I have to get going now."

"Alright," her voice had changed too, becoming drearier. The goodbyes were always the hardest to say. "I'll call you later."

Greg sighed as he hung up, holding the phone in the palm of his open hand. He was happy for her, but at the same time it made things even worse. Three weeks had passed, and she already had a promotion, with another one on its way. It really had happened, Sara had really left…

He rubbed the back of his neck, sighing as he did so. He had hoped, and prayed that she would come back, that one day he would walk into the lab, and see her standing there. He longed to wrap his arms around her slender frame, longed to hold her one last time…was it so selfish of him?

Now with her promotion, there would be no way that she would be headed back…it was a surprise that she hadn't forgotten about him…muttering a curse Greg staggered to his feet, ready to face another day.

* * *

"You need to work late," Catherine said, walking past him. 

"I've worked late the last two nights," Greg reminded her, prepping the last of the samples. "Plus overtime for the lab, without pay. I want my sleep tonight."

"Too bad, I need someone to cover the case tonight."

"Get Warrick then, I hear he's available."

Catherine let out a sigh, turning to him, "Warrick has the night off, and Nick's already left. I have a daughter at home, and since you no longer have a life, you get to stay here."

Greg was tempted to send his own comment back, but refrained. Arguing was the last thing he wanted to do now. He had a headache as it was, and Catherine's comments were the result of her irritability…or so he hoped.

"Catherine, I have already worked my shift, plus four hours of lab work without pay. I haven't had a break since lunch, I'm tired, I'm sore, and I'm going home."

"Are you arguing with me Greg?" Catherine wondered lightly, watching him now.

"No offense Catherine, but you do not have authority over me, I'm Grissom's responsibility. You don't like my attitude, talk to Grissom about it."

"Actually, when Grissom isn't around, I am your authority," she reminded him.

Greg let out a stern smile, looking up at her. "I'm a big boy Catherine, and as a big boy, I'm choosing to go home after I finish these samples."

"You know Greg, considering all that you've done to this team, you could take a few hours every once in a while."

Greg raised an eyebrow, surprised at her last comment. "Everything that I've done?"

"The only reason we're shorthanded is because Sara left, and you had to convince her to go. You even drove her to the airport."

"Because I don't trust those taxi drivers, especially at that hour. Why are you coming down so hard on me about this?"

"Everyone needs someone to blame," Catherine shrugged her shoulders. "I need you to go through the files on my desk; we're looking for an ex-con, mid-thirties, white male. You think you can handle that?"

"I told you once already, I'm going home," Greg declared a final time.

He looked up as the door opened, frowning as Ecklie turned from him to Catherine. "Is there a problem here?"

**TBC**


	3. Endings

**Chapter Three: Endings**

She had showered, more than once, had gone through an entire bottle of shampoo, had used an entire bar of soap…but none of it was helping. After all, a three week decomp wasn't an easy smell to lose. Sara made a face, eyes squinting as she read the small print. Technically she was supposed to be work, but a coworker had tipped her off about a special kind of soap. She had been reluctant at first, thirty dollars for a small bottle, but if it would work…

Then again she could use lemons…Sara shook her head quickly, trying to clear the thought from her head. She wouldn't go there, refusing to let the memory of her former boss creep into her mind. She had worked so hard to forget everything, she couldn't give in now.

"Is it working?"

Sara shook her head, placing the bottle down. "Haven't tried it yet," she gave a brief smile to Kyla, one of her coworkers. The woman was only a few years older than she was, a mother of two. She wouldn't exactly call her a friend, but she had helped out in a few tight spots, more of an acquaintance, though she had known Kyla too long for that.

"Lemons work real nice too," Kyla pointed out, moving her raven hair behind her shoulder. It dropped down to just above her waist, and made Sara wonder how exactly the woman controlled her hair while working a scene. "It's a shame you're allergic."

Sara nodded quietly, her eyes skimming over the words without really reading. She had used that excuse the first time they had mentioned lemons. Hopefully this thirty dollars was worth something.

"There's someone here looking for you too," Kyla continued, her purse on the table as she sorted through it. Her tone of voice had changed, dropping in tone as she leaned closer to her. "Says he's your ex, something about you not paying child support."

Sara frowned, looking up quickly. "Child support?" she questioned, catching Kyla's gaze. "I don't have any children."

Kyla gave her a sweet smile, waving a hand as she did so. "I say the same thing sometimes. I can get rid of him if you want; I haven't told him you're in."

Sara shook her head, resisting the urge to continue the argument. Kyla was never good at catching emotions, a firm reason she worked trace. There was little point in trying to convince the woman other wise, but it unnerved Sara that someone would come looking for her. She didn't know anyone in the city besides those who worked her.

Kyla gave her a brief nod as she left the room, but somehow it didn't settle her nerves. She approached the corner carefully, taking her time to check the small lobby carefully, frowning as she did so.

The young man had his back towards her, arms stuffed in his pockets as he moved along slowly, reading the certificates that grazed the walls. It was unmistakable, but still it was hard to believe.

"Greg?"

He turned at the sound of her voice, letting out a smile as he met her gaze. "Hey," he returned her greeting quietly, taking her in as she stepped closer. He was thrown off guard as she moved quickly, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him into an embrace.

He returned the gesture, holding her close as she laughed, realizing for the first time how much he missed her. For the past few weeks it had been a dull ache, one he had been certain would pass in time, but now, holding her in his arms he found it near impossible to let her go. "You smell like death," Greg whispered in her ear moments before she pulled away.

"I know," she smiled up at him, still holding him by the arms. "A real man wouldn't mind though, right?"

He pulled her back into a hug, his arms folding around her back. "I never said I minded," Greg pointed out.

"I can't believe you're here, I mean, how? Why?"

"Why?" Greg repeated the question, not sure if he had heard her right. He was the one to break the hold this time, meeting her gaze. "I missed you Sara…I really, really missed you."

"The lab wouldn't just give you time off like that unless you…you didn't quit did you?" she stammered, her tone changing quickly. "Please tell me you didn't quit?"

"I didn't quit," Greg reassured her, his arms folding across his chest as he balanced his weight on his heels. "Let's just say the lab found it in best interest if I took some time off."

"You were suspended?" Sara asked hopefully, letting out a sigh as Greg nodded. Suspended, not fired, but suspended. "What did you do?"

"Why do you assume I did something?" Greg questioned innocently, shrugging his shoulders. Her expression in return told him quickly that she was having a hard time believing him. "I had a few words with Catherine and Ecklie butted in. He had no business being in that conversation in the first place."

"You yelled at Ecklie?" Sara stated disbelievingly.

"Not at him exactly," he explained quickly, "more like I was yelling at Catherine through closed doors with him standing in front of me."

"Which would be yelling at him," Sara classified, letting out a sigh.

"Through him actually," Greg shrugged his shoulders again, giving her a grin. "He's quite hollow, believe it or not."

"I can," Sara agreed. "So you flew three thousand miles, just to see me?"

"Crazy, huh?"

"I'm glad," she told him quietly, "I needed a friend."

"Sara, I've been looking for you."

The pair turned as the newcomer came into the lobby, the man near a head shorter than both of them, his blonde hair laying flat against his head. He came to a stop, frowning as he took Greg in. "Can I help you?"

"Max," she nodded towards him, "this is a good friend of mine, Greg. Greg, this is my partner Max," she did the introduction quick, feeling slightly silly at having to do so. Greg normally didn't need an introduction; he did that all on his own.

Greg nodded, reaching over to shake his hand. "This the same Max I've heard about?" he wondered, straightening up.

"As long as you're the same Greg I've heard about," he stated quickly, turning to Sara. "I ran the samples the coroner sent up, they're a match to a James Willinen, he has a record, so I've sent Morris down to pick him up. Our vic was associated with him at one point, but that was several years ago, no telling how his DNA ended up under her fingernails. I'm going back to the scene to check the back area, I want you to wait for Willinen to arrive so you can interview him, his file is back with the reports."

Greg watched breathlessly as he continued talking, handing Sara several papers. So far the man had managed to say everything in one breath, and before either could say another word, he was off again, leaving the two alone once more.

Greg's eyes followed the path to the door, quiet for a moment until the door closed fully. "He needs to cut down on the coffee," he commented quietly, surprised to hear Sara laugh.

"He doesn't drink coffee," Sara stated, shaking her head as she grinned. "I told you, he never stops."

"I'm not even that annoying," Greg pointed out, even more surprised to hear Sara cough this time.

"Yet," she smiled, lacing her arm around his. "I'll sign you in, show you the ropes," she teased lightly, pulling him along behind her.

* * *

"This is your place?" Greg wondered quietly, coming to a stop once he reached the top of the stairs. He marveled slightly when she opened the door, stepping inside after all. "How much does a place like this cost?"

"You don't want to know," Sara groaned quietly, dropping her stuff on the counter. It was quite larger than her last place; a full kitchen, with a living room split with a study. Greg gave a single nod, wandering down the hall as she went through her mail.

"Your bathroom's the same size as my room," Greg called back to her, provoking a grin.

"Master bath," she nodded, even though he could no longer see her. Dropping the mail in a pile she wandered down after him, not surprised in the least that he had made it clear to her bedroom.

"Master bedroom too?" Greg questioned, taking in the room as she came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"Bigger than I wanted, but work's paying for half. It's part of the perk I get for working there…"

"Man," Greg let out a low whistle, "We're the applications? I can certainly handle this."

She laughed quietly, standing on her toes as she kissed him softly on the cheek. He turned surprised, meeting her eyes as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I missed you," she told him, giving him a gentle smile at the same time.

"It's been so different without you…" Greg started, stopping only to catch his voice. "Everyone's been so snappy since you left, they all miss you, but no one will admit it. It's been lonely, quiet in a sense. No one wants to even put up with me…"

"That's hard to believe," Sara mentioned, doing her best to not let his words affect her. She hadn't stopped to think about the others, hadn't wanted to. It was hard enough not to think about Greg, and knowing how much he must have been hurting. She was only beginning to realize how much he meant to her.

She kissed him again, more slowly this time, still holding him close. Greg had turned more towards her, this time capturing her lips in his own as lifted his arms, his fingers tracing her face.

"Stay with me," she whispered, breaking the kiss. Their lips met once again as Greg pulled her closer, one hand running down the back of her shirt. He could feel her own hands against his chest, working under his jacket.

"We can't disappear," he breathed heavily, leaning his forehead against her own. He said it sadly, knowing in his mind that it was not logical, but at the same time the thought was so inviting. This was a side of Sara he had not seen, and if he had been a little stronger he would have stopped her there, knowing that their actions may be regretted in the morning.

"I can't go back," she argued briefly, moving her hands up to rub his neck. "And I don't want to see you go," she ended with another kiss, pulling him gently towards the bed.

He followed with little hesitation, settling down beside her. "Yes you can," he ran his fingers along her jaw bone, as she pushed his jacket off. "You can…for me…come back for me."

Sara nodded, unwilling to argue with him. She kissed him briefly on the upper lip before pulling away, her hands folded in her lap. Greg looked up questioningly, frowning. "What's wrong?"

She lifted her eyes, meeting his own as she smiled warmly. "Nothing," she remarked, "Everything's fine." Moving to wrap her arms around his neck she knew for certain that everything was indeed fine. It was more than that however…things were perfect…for now at least.

**The End**


End file.
